PRETTY IN PINK Stephanie Nicole Ella (second from left), her 5-year-old brother Ken and her cousins eagerly await New Year’s Eve outside their home in Caloocan City unaware that she would be hit by a stray bullet at midnight. Note date on photo at right. PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLA FAMILY

Stephanie Nicole Ella, the 7-year-old girl who was hit in the head by a stray bullet while watching the fireworks show outside her Caloocan City home on New Year’s Eve, fought for 38 hours to stay alive.

“Let’s stop. She has suffered enough,” Bueno quoted Nicole’s father, Aquilino, as telling the doctors who were trying to revive the girl after her eighth cardiac arrest. Nicole had been suffering a series of cardiac arrests since 5 a.m. Wednesday.

“Her parents are understandably upset. Their daughter died because of the senseless indiscriminate firing of a very irresponsible person,” the doctor said.

When Nicole was wheeled out on a gurney to the hospital morgue, her small body was wrapped in a green Spongebob Squarepants blanket. The cartoon character was one of her favorites, her father said.

“We just want to take her home,” said Aquilino. He said the wake for his daughter would be held at the family residence in Barangay (village) Malaria, Tala, Caloocan City.

Asked what his daughter liked to do, Aquilino smiled and said that Nicole loved books, particularly coloring books, and usually watched movies of Barbie.

“The last thing she was busying herself with was watercolor painting using her fingers,” he recalled, adding that Nicole loved coloring with crayons.

Aquilino said he had only one regret, that he was not able to grant Nicole’s last wish for him to carry her while they watched the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

“But I could not carry her that time because I was already carrying her brother and I told her that she was too big,” he said.

He renewed his appeal for witnesses to come forward and identify the shooter. “I hope that this does not happen to his own children,” he said of the gunman.

Deepest level of coma

Several hours before Nicole died, Bueno told the Inquirer that she was in the deepest level of coma under the Glasgow coma scale. This meant that her heart was the only organ keeping her alive.

“She could no longer breathe without the respirator and her heart was the only organ functioning,” the doctor explained.

The heart is the very last organ to stop functioning in the human body, Bueno said.

He said that while there have been cases of patients who have had cardiac arrests while in the deepest level of coma being revived, this was very rare.

By 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nicole had suffered her eighth cardiac arrest and intervals between her heart stopping and being revived through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) had become very close.

“We asked the parents if they wanted us to continue to resuscitate Nicole. They saw that the girl was already suffering and asked our doctors to stop reviving her,” Bueno told reporters, explaining that the staff had been giving the girl CPR for 20 minutes with no response.

“At that point, we did not see any way for the girl to come back,” the doctor said.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima on Wednesday assured the Ella family that the police would stop at nothing to identify and arrest the shooter.

“Your police will do everything it can to resolve the case (of Stephanie Nicole) and the other victims of stray bullets,” he said.

“We have already assigned police investigators to each of the incidents of indiscriminate firing. We expect them to resolve these cases as soon as possible,” said Purisima, adding that the Mandaluyong police had already arrested the suspect in the killing of 4-year-old Ranjilo Nemer.

The PNP chief said he was not satisfied with the police’s failure to gather enough information and evidence that would lead to the identification and arrest of the people behind the indiscriminate firing of guns.

“They (the police) need to focus on these cases and make those responsible for these answer for their crimes,” he said.

Purisima said he had directed PNP field commanders to identify the registered gun owners within the vicinity of areas where victims were hit by stray bullets and check if they had fired their guns.

He said the community also needed to help, noting that witnesses could have been standing only a few hundred meters away from the people who fired the guns.

“If you happen to see or hear about a certain individual who fired his gun during New Year’s Eve, you can inform the nearest police station so we can check if that person could be responsible for the bullet that hit the victims,” Purisima said.

He said he was also thinking of creating a database of individuals who have been involved in indiscriminate firing in the past to help the police prevent similar incidents in the future.

“Once they try to fire their guns, the police will arrest them on the spot. But we need the active cooperation of the community to do this,” he said. With a report from Marlon Ramos

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ShineMother

R.I.P. Stephanie Nicole Ella and the other stray bullet victims in this year’s new year celebrations. I extend my condolences to their family and friends.
~Siguro imbis na magluksa ang Malakanyang tungkol dito, mas maganda kung may magagawa silang aksyon sa problemang to.

“Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima on Wednesday assured the Ella family that the police would stop at nothing to identify and arrest the shooter.”
And you should start with your own people, useless POS.

Here is where the pro-Life people are much needed, where we need your strong condemnation and call to action, where your influence should be felt. Being pro-Life is not just about giving a chance for a child to be born but giving the child a quality life that ensures his/her protection and care after being born and ensuring secured childhood and productive life. Life begins at conception but it doesnt end there and we should ensure that there is (quality) life after birth.

impending_raptor

Rest in peace Nicole, you are now in a better place amongst the cherubim and seraphim. My prayers to you and your family.

Sippho

I can’t help but cry reading this article…A senseless death of a beautiful girl..Gone too soon… I pray that whoever is responsible for her death will surface and surrender voluntarily… Condolence to the family!!!

For God loves a child, and anybody who violated a child is a devil in the eyes of God.

banditpogi

Then why is your God allowing so many innocent children to be violated???

Mananandata69

because my God works in a mysterious ways. I am not sure of your God.

banditpogi

My god, if I will ever have one, will not allow any child to be violated. And my god, if I will ever have one, must work in clear, simple and non-mysterious ways in order for me to trust and have faith in him.

http://profile.yahoo.com/KAAEZZZL7OMMZ5K4KCFETADLSM jerome

I am willing to donate cash to who ever would be able to give information about the whereabouts of the person who is responsible for the death of Nicole. I am a gun enthusiast but this is a clear violation of every thing I stood for on gun ownership and responsibility. To the parents, friends and those who love Nicole so much our heartfelt condolence.

There must be political will to stop this madness. If the citiozens in the community refuse to cooperate because of fear or intimidation from the gun owners, then the police and the government must step in with drastic measures:

1. Firing a gun indiscrinately must be decalared a capital offense. It should not matter whether the stray bullet actually hit anyone. The mere firing of the gun should already constitute a criminal act.

2. Barangay, municipal or city officials of all places where indiscriminate firing takes place should be suspended and charged with dereliction of duty.

3. Reward of not less than P1,000,000 should be offered for information that will lead to the arrest of anyone who indiscriminately fires a gun, regardless if the stray bullet will hit anyone.

4. Persons who will block, mislead or provide false information during investigations, or will help offenders escape apprehension should be charged with the same offense as the gunman.

5. The Chief of Police who has jurisdiction over the case should be removed if the case is not resolved within 30 days.

6. Convicted offenders must serve a mandatory jail term of no less than 10 years, must pay the government the reward money given to the informant, if any, and pay if there is a victim of the stray bullet, indemnify them or their heirs.

7. In addition to the jail terms, the offender should be made to render lifetime community service to emergency rooms of hospitals during the holidays so they will be contantly reminded of the grief and trauma they caused to innocent victims of their senseless actions.

It is simply repulsive that the neighbors of the Ella family chose to remain silent and refuse to cooperate with authorities in finding the perpetrator. They have no place in a decent society.

http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/ Lucky Luciano

Ban Fireworks. That’s the simplest solution. That’s the easiest way you tell if your neighbor is firing his gun.

BAN FIREWORKS.

BTW: Stephanie Nicole Ella, the 7-year-old girl who was hit in the head by a
stray bullet while watching the fireworks show outside her Caloocan City
home on New Year’s Eve.

The mayor is Not corrupt, his words gains respect from residents. It’s about honorable leaders. What would it be if a leader is known to be a pervert Abnoy ? The citizens will be kicking and slapping each other for an Abnoy does not command respect but chaos of perversion.

bakitkailangan

ARAUTAK, ang layo naman yata ng kumento mo sa balitang ito.

ARIKUTIK

One blogger mentioned Duterte the mayor of Davao City who successfully staged a = Bang….Bang….Kaboom-LESS, happy celebration. A sharp eye just pop up an idea about the difference between respectable Man and the genderless pervert in power. Locally called > ABNOY ! the creator of chaos.

“Your police will do everything it can to resolve the case (of Stephanie Nicole) and the other victims of stray bullets,” said Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima.
Yeah, right!

The gun where the bullet came from may have been fired 1-2 kms away if it did not hit anything else on it’s path. PNP forensics need to do a lot of homework as to what the angle is of the bullet when it hit Nicolle. This is how they can make an estimate of where the gun was fired from. Usually people who fire guns during revelries will fire at an angle of over 45 degrees because they know if they fire at a low angle they will hit people close by & they will get caught. Once they get an estimate of the distance then they can ask people around that area if they noticed somebody fire a gun at the time Nicolle was hit. They should not limit their search in the close vicinity of where Nicolle was.

WeAry_Bat

The bullet may travel 1-2kms upwards but may cover less than a kilometer from origin.

correct, the right thinking licensed FA owner, will not fire his or her gun indisciminately.
you may be right….an unregistered firearm was used. yes, the force of the bullet ejected from the muzzle of the gun have the same impact when the bullet is going down.

i really can’t help but shed tears seeing the picture of a happy, beautiful and innocent child just minutes before being fell by a stray bullet. she actually reminds me of my own 11 year old girl who was also watching the fireworks on new years eve. may nicole find the eternal peace she rightly deserves in the bosom company of our lord. Rest in peace

What a senseless way to go. I pray that the triggerman dies a miserable death and goes to hell.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LHTWUXKL5GQ66NGG73Z6EIMYZI june

to the echiverri dynasty, please do not squeeze political points from the tragic death of stephanie nicole. this would not have happened if you just did your job instead of defacing caloocan with your ugly tarpaulin. shame on you

Why most of us (Filipinos) are hard headed to obey laws and rules of the nation? It is time to change that crap values. can we imagine how an innocent child suffers this senseless indiscriminate and irresponsible use of firearm.

I agree to put up a special law and implement the strict issuance and permission of any firearms to any individual.

No one can even begin to imagine the anguish and sorrow that the family of Nicole are now going through. This is one of those senseless deaths that makes one wish the most horrific punishment on the culprit. We should be unforgiving in exacting justice on those who harm our children.

batangpaslit

forgiveness naman Bro does not mean libre na ang guilty.
forgiveness means….you don’t harbour vengeance to mete “justice” with your bare hands.
rather, you turn over to the authorities the matter of just penalty for the wrong done against you.

Barangay Officials should be the one montoring the situations in their areas with the assistance of the police every year end celebration with the help of the whole community in that barangay, Tulong tulong po dapat ang bawat isa sa atin upang mapangalagaan natin ang seguridad at kapakanan nating lahat lalo na ng ating mga anak. Pinaaabot ko po ang taos puso kong pakikiramay sa pamilya ni Stephanie Nicole Ella.

publish the caliber of the bullets and the areas involved in these incidents … if the gunshooter has a conscience he/she MIGHT give-up, but if he/she does not at least they will know what the proper authorities are looking out for.

some may think that this will only alert those who fired the same caliber guns in this areas, i am only banking that those responsible will have the decency to give themselves up and face the consequences of their irresponsible actions. i can’t really put too much hope on our police investigators to be able to find them (but they are most welcome to prove me wrong).

but if they are so callous and heartless, that they do not care whatsoever for what happened then there isn’t much we can do, but their conscience will never give them peace knowing that the same caliber bullet of the gun they fired in that area may have been the one that caused these senseless deaths and injuries.

batangpaslit

harinawa

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZWTTKJTI57YO7TZBJC66GA2OLU dennis

Ganito lang ka-simple yan! Government must do a move like sending SMS Msgs the name and address of a suspected person or neighbor who has FIREARMS! With or without license eh problema na niya yun!…An exchange for “Firearms for Food or Money” can be claim and MUST remain confidential!

My deep felt condolences for the family. Let us help the victims, anyone knows who fired guns on that very moment please do come forth and help them find justice.
It’s unfortunate that little children suffer the most on the mistakes of the mindless grown-ups.
It’s really sad.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/Q63DUTCNJJKCYNURT4A4C6QZJM marco

i can feel every bit of anger, dismay of the family, and every drop of tears the father and mother shed. call me crazy, but i can’t help but to cry while reading this.

I will not wish harm to the children of the culprit. His kids don’t deserve harm too. I hope everyone would learn from this…..

for the family of nicole…..let it go though its painful. Lift up to the Lord…i am sure she is more than happy now. She is now watching us and with the angels of heaven…..

Goodbye Nicole……Rest in Peace!

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/Q63DUTCNJJKCYNURT4A4C6QZJM marco

how many more lives are we going to sacrifice? how many more innocent and powerless people are we ready to give up?

I am appealing to all gun owners, think hundred of times….think of this circumstances will happen to your own family?

The government till this time have NOT done anything and given justice to all victims?

This is how i interpret things happening to us in general…”Doing nothing is as good as allowing everybody even normal citizen to carry firearms….Allowing everyone to carry firearms means,legalizing and tolerance to everyone to commit an act of killing anyone….Killing everyone will result to civil unrest due to lack of justice…..Lack of justice means legalization to kill anyone…So why do we need justice and GUN BAN if people already had in their mind that “This is Justice (firearms)”?…LOGIC!

billy gunner

ano raw?

bahaykubo1015

ha! ha! ha! Akala ko ako lang ang nalito…;;

gagokayonglahat

Dami mong period!

banditpogi

Ano kamo???

kunsabagay

gutom lang yan dre

Noredlac

????

archer vallesfin

hmm

Archanger Angels

si chicken o egg ang na una? di ko na gets. hehehe

rouelcalzita

LOGIC…It does not mean, allowing to carry firearms, you are bound to kill anyone.
If are you a victim of this gun related…you would thought the indispensable of gun.

A movement like “FIREARMS FOR FOOD OR MONEY” will sweep out everything,No need for search warrant! Surprise raid must be the answer!!!….Government must do their move by using people of the Philippines (through Cellphone text) informing his/her suspected neighbors hiding firearms!….My point is to bring out registration of firearms!…..NGAYON,KAPAG NAUNAHAN KANG ISUMBONG NG KAPITBAHAY MO AT ILLEGAL YAN EH PASENSIYAHAN NA LANG! The names and claim of incentives (price) must remain CONFIDENTIAL!….All we need is name and address of suspected person!…..We must think and find solution for the good of everyone.

if there would be a price on it… an innocent can be jailed and the criminal be rich…

batangpaslit

Johnny, how would it be?
The police and the informant and witnesses would connive to “frame” anybody just to collect the prize?
Your scenario is a gross distortion how justice ought to be dispensed.

http://profile.yahoo.com/5UJ67L2LT2TI46PMH7DR7GSZBQ Ces

Looking at this photo makes me cry. She reminds me of my eldest daughter. More than Nicole’s resting in peace, I also pray for the parents for them to have the strongest faith in God. Your angel is now seating beside the Almighty.

And to the one who did this, I am very sure your conscience won’t let you live in sanity from that day on.

i know how it feels like to ask the doctor to stop. i have experienced the same with my daughter. praying for the family. condolence.

WeAry_Bat

i saw in FB another picture of the girl lying on the hospital bed with a bandage. para siyang baby. more than a thousand sad and outraged sa nangyari.

ToolsDLLs

Our deepest condolences to the family of Nicole. Every year, people die from indiscriminate firing of guns. Why not try raising a bounty for this irresponsible id iot’s head, am sure, police can zero in on the suspect in no time.

15 And they brought unto him
also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they
rebuked them.16 But Jesus
called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and
forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall
not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

http://profile.yahoo.com/G2UFL7BAIFFUU6TIW4FFAPTVV4 Ghost

ALL those that fired their firearms last new year’s eve ought to serve jail sentence! It doesnt matter anymore whose bullet hit nicole, they have all done the same sinful act of kayabangan.
The very act of indiscriminate firing should be deterred whether someone (or no one) is hit by this act of foolishness.
.

EdsonArantesDoNascimiento

My heart weeps for these angels,being a father of two boys.Alas (only God can help&protect us),this will happen again and again,not only during the new year revelry.More senseless deaths of the innocents will come because of the incomptent, corrupt and reactive law-enforcers and gov’t leaders we have!!!!We are an undone nation, for having a leader(?) who’s lazy, inept,a smoker and a gun-lover!!!!IUntil the next new year revelry,mark my word, it’ll happen again,no change!!!!

Full blown issue that really deserves attention and probably this will have a shelf life of about two weeks. Next year na ulit pag uusapan ‘to…andyan na kasi ulit yung mga masusugatan at ma a aksidente sa Pista ng Nazareno.

As long as pinoys have this” walang pakialam sa kapwa/komunidad basta magawa ang gusto” mentality then it’s bound to happen again. it’s the same reason why there are mountains of garbage in Manila Bay

Hence, before we blame gov’t or church,we should not forget that much of it also has to do with personal responsibility. Unfortunately that’s severely lacking in our society.

batangpaslit

Bro, Filipinos are legalistic; but, not law abiding

tuldok

The best post so far! You nailed it Bro!!!!

joerizal

Philippines – the wild, wild East.

BongCastaneda

di ba nila ma calculate from the trajectory and angle of the point of entry in the victims headwound kung saan galing ang bala?
Also the depth of penetration would help the police in getting a more or less specific distance involved and not just direction where the bullet came from.
If they need help in estimating the values of bullet penetrating thru human flesh they can ask help from the US government specifically the CSI, FBI divisions that have case studies on these.

Around hundred meters away lang sa bahay nila nicole at sila ang nakitang nagpaputok, meaning it was aimed high up, if in the re-enactment of the case shows the direction is coming from their location where they are feasting on a drinking spree, high possibility that the accused are the scam bags, sanay na nga lang magsinungaling. Mahirap i prove ito, yet still the PNP can locate all users of 45 caliber gun in the area and compare the ballistic done on the collected slug.

Hopefully it will be solve and thanks to the PNP for doing their job, n sorry for Nicole the sweet and lovely kid.

Everyone who shot guns into the air that night are GUILTY of her murder. whether or not it was their particular bullet(s) that hit her, they are all responsible for risking the lives of the people around them.

Such a shame, every new year instead of happily enjoying the celebrations, we have to worry that a bullet will come down on us and our loved ones. i sleep at new year’s eve with my daughter cradled in my arms hoping my body would shield her from a chance bullet.

PROMOTIONS OF FAIR INVESTIGATIONS AND SANCTIONS AGAINST THE ABUSERS OR CRIMINALS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VICTIMS LIFE….

THE IRRESPONSIBLE CRIMINALS MUST BE CHARGED OF HOMICIDE TO MURDER AND
NOT JUST A RECKLESS IMPRUDENCE ON HIS INDISCRIMINATE FIRING AS STATED
INVESTIGATIONS RESULTS BY THE PNP, IT IS UNFAIR THE SUSPECTS IS USING
GUNS IN KILLING THE YOUR GIRL AND HE MUST BE RESPONSIBLE OF HOMICIDE TO
MURDER USING THE GUN FOR KILLING A PERSON IN INTENTIONAL OR NOT……

UNINTENTIONAL USING GUN IN KILLING ANY PERSON MUST BE CHARGED OF
DIRECTLY HOMICIDE AND NOT JUST RECKLESS IMPRUDENCE RESULTING TO HOMICIDE
WHICH IS GUN IS NATURALLY A KILLING MACHINE AND MUST BE LICENSE TO
USE….THERE MUST BE NO RECKLESSNESS CASE FOR GUN IRRESPONSIBILITY BUT
AUTOMATICALLY HOMICIDE IF IT KILLS UNINTENTIONAL JUST LIKE A PERSON
KILLS IN UNINTENTIONAL IN A QUARREL OR ANY GROUND FOR UNINTENTIONAL IN
HOMICIDE ….